MVC Provides Prosecutors with Invaluable Information Tool Partnership allows access to full driver records
(TRENTON) – Seeking to provide New Jersey court officials with a new tool to prevent unsafe drivers from avoiding appropriate court penalties, Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) Chief Administrator Sharon A. Harrington today announced a statewide partnership with municipal prosecutors. The agency has granted court officials access to its Customer Abstract Information Request (CAIR) System. The CAIR System provides prosecutors the ability to see up-to-date, accurate driver history information that will allow them to make more informed decisions when addressing motor vehicle violation cases or traffic offenses.

“The MVC is always looking for ways to partner with law enforcement and the courts in order to ensure safer roadways,” said Harrington. “With direct access to a driver’s record, the prosecutors see firsthand whether a person has a questionable driving record and can act accordingly. This will go a long way in preventing unsafe, problem drivers from avoiding proper sentencing in court.”

This new partnership comes at the conclusion of a short but successful pilot program the MVC undertook with the assistance of several members of the New Jersey State Municipal Prosecutor’s Association (NJSMPA). Coordinating with the MVC’s divisions of Business & Government Services and Compliance and Safety, the prosecutors utilized the CAIR access and provided invaluable feedback on the system.

Prior to gaining access to the CAIR System, many municipal prosecutors lacked an efficient way to review a defendant’s driver record in real time. The only way prosecutors could request driver abstracts was through their local police department, the MVC’s Data Output Unit, and in some cases, the courts. But with complete information in hand through the CAIR System, prosecutors can now quickly and properly review a defendant’s request for plea arrangements. Such decisions will be made knowing all the driver history facts about the individual.

“Having access to drivers’ motor vehicle records will enable municipal prosecutors to review all cases and help us dispense individual justice in individual cases,” said Robert J. Pinizzotto, president of the NJSMPA. “Municipal prosecutors have been required to review and provide Municipal Court Judges drivers’ abstracts for years, but it has only been through the hard work and efforts of the MVC and the NJSMPA that we, municipal prosecutors, now have that ability. I have used the CAIR System extensively in recent weeks and it has proven to be the most effective tool for municipal prosecutions that I have seen since I have been prosecuting, which is about 20 years. I cannot thank those responsible individuals at the MVC enough, from myself and from the members of the NJSMPA, who have pushed prosecutor access to MVC records through the system.”

Presently, there are more than 50 active municipal prosecutor CAIR System accounts, with more than 200 expected in the coming months. Some prosecutors handle court duties in more than one municipality. To gain access to the CAIR System, a prosecutor must submit the request to the MVC via letter on official municipal letterhead. The MVC and the prosecutor will then enter into a legal agreement, where access may only be used by the prosecutor in his/her role as prosecutor and not in private practice.

Municipal prosecutors are the latest group the MVC has granted access to its CAIR System. The MVC also has partnerships with private school transportation providers and federally-recognized organ donation organizations.